Craig and Lindsay Foreman have been on a round-the-world motorcycle tour after they have been arrested by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
Two British nationals detained in Iran have been charged with espionage, the nation’s authorities have mentioned.
Craig and Lindsay Foreman, a pair who entered Iran on a round-the-world motorcycling journey, have been arrested by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards within the southern metropolis of Kerman in January.
The pair have now been formally accused of getting hyperlinks to the intelligence providers of “hostile international locations,” in response to a judicial spokesperson quoted by the information web site Mizanonline.ir.
Whereas the Iranian authorities initially didn’t identify them, the prisoners’ household recognized them in a press release issued by way of the UK’s International Workplace.
“This sudden flip of occasions has prompted important concern for our complete household, and we’re deeply targeted on guaranteeing their security and well-being throughout this making an attempt time,” the assertion mentioned.
“The household are united in our willpower to safe their secure return,” it added.
Hugo Shorter, Britain’s ambassador to Iran, reportedly met the couple in Kerman on Wednesday within the presence of Iranian officers.
Iran has a historical past of detaining Western nationals, together with Britons, on espionage and safety fees. It has lengthy been accused of utilizing prisoners as bargaining chips in worldwide negotiations, an accusation it denies.
In a Fb put up on 30 December 2024, shortly earlier than they entered Iran, the Foremans mentioned that their upcoming journey to Iran and Pakistan can be “barely scary”.
They acknowledged that “having a British passport or connections to the UK may be cause sufficient for the Iranian authorities to detain you.”
“The UK authorities advises in opposition to all however important journey to those areas, and the information paints a fairly grim image,” the put up learn. “However right here’s the factor: overlanders and travellers who’ve ventured via these areas communicate of nothing however heat hospitality, unimaginable landscapes, and recollections that final a lifetime.”
“We wish to discover out for ourselves.”